At Spencer ‘N’ Psychotherapy, I believe in empowering you with tools and insights that support your mental well-being beyond our sessions. Here’s a curated list of apps, books, and podcasts that I frequently recommend to clients. These resources can offer valuable perspectives, practical strategies, and a deeper understanding of various mental health concepts.
Helpful Apps for Emotional Regulation & Insight
1. The How We Feel App
- What it is: Developed by a team of scientists at Yale University, the “How We Feel” app is a free tool designed to help you identify, understand, and articulate your emotions. It encourages daily check-ins, guiding you through a broad spectrum of feelings and providing strategies for managing them.
- Why I recommend it: This app can significantly enhance your emotional literacy and self-awareness. By regularly tracking your emotional states, you can start to identify patterns, triggers, and develop healthier coping mechanisms. It’s an excellent companion for anyone looking to build a stronger connection with their inner world.
2. The Values Institute App (or similar values-based apps)
- What it is: The “Values Assessment” app by the Values Institute is an AI-powered application designed to help individuals and organizations pinpoint their core values and develop practical action plans for aligning their lives and work with what truly matters. It aims to make the often-abstract process of values discovery fun and intuitive, moving away from traditional, more cumbersome methods. The app covers four dimensions of values—Belonging, Growth, Impact, and Fulfillment—and offers a selection of 48 defined values. For individuals, it’s a free toolkit that delivers a personalized “Values Action Plan” via email, including suggestions for habits, rituals, and mindsets for their top three values, and guidance on overcoming obstacles. For organizations, it facilitates group reports and offers custom alignment tracking with existing corporate values.
- Why I recommend it: Understanding your core values is a cornerstone of living a meaningful life, a key component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The Values Assessment app provides a structured, accessible, and engaging way to engage in this crucial self-reflection. By guiding users through values clarification and then helping them set micro-habits and action plans, the app directly supports the alignment of daily actions with deeply held beliefs. This alignment can lead to greater fulfillment, reduced internal conflict, improved decision-making, and enhanced well-being, both personally and within organizational contexts. Its AI-driven approach and focus on actionable insights make it a powerful tool for anyone seeking to live a more purpose-driven life.
3. Goblin Tools
- What it is: Goblin Tools is a free, AI-powered suite of simple, single-task tools designed primarily to help neurodivergent individuals, but highly beneficial for anyone who finds everyday tasks overwhelming or difficult. It offers features like “Magic To-Do” (breaking down tasks), “The Judge” (tone checking messages), and “Compiler” (summarizing scattered thoughts).
- Why I recommend it: If you struggle with executive functioning – planning, organizing, or starting tasks – Goblin Tools can be a game-changer. It helps reduce cognitive load, making daunting tasks feel more manageable and reducing the anxiety often associated with getting things done.
Insightful Books for Growth and Relationships
1. Books by Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD
- Key focus: Dr. Lindsay Gibson is renowned for her work on emotional maturity and its impact on adult relationships. Her books provide profound insights into how childhood experiences with emotionally immature parents can affect your adult life and relationships.
- Recommended Titles:
- Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents: This book helps readers understand the destructive nature of emotionally immature parents and offers ways to heal from childhood pain and confusion.
- Recovering from Emotionally Immature Parents: Practical Tools to Establish Boundaries and Reclaim Your Emotional Autonomy: A practical guide offering tools to protect yourself from emotional takeovers, respect your own needs, and gain emotional autonomy.
- Why I recommend them: These books are invaluable for anyone who has experienced emotional neglect or an unfulfilling relationship with a parent. They provide a framework for understanding past dynamics and empower you to build healthier, more mature relationships in the present.
2. The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris
- Key focus: This book is a highly accessible introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Dr. Russ Harris challenges the common misconception that happiness means the absence of negative emotions. Instead, he guides readers to embrace the full spectrum of human experience and live a life aligned with their values, even in the presence of discomfort.
- Why I recommend it: As a practice grounded in ACT, I find The Happiness Trap to be an excellent resource for clients to deepen their understanding of ACT principles. It provides practical exercises to help you stop struggling with difficult thoughts and feelings and start living a more fulfilling life.
3. Wired for Dating: How Understanding Neurobiology and Attachment Style Can Help You Find Your Ideal Mate by Stan Tatkin
- Key focus: Stan Tatkin, a renowned couples therapist, explores how our early experiences shape our attachment styles and how these styles influence our dating lives and romantic relationships. The book delves into the neurobiology of attraction and provides practical strategies for finding and maintaining secure, thriving partnerships.
- Why I recommend it: For individuals navigating the dating world or seeking to understand relationship patterns, this book offers a unique blend of neuroscience, attachment theory, and practical advice. It can help you identify your own relational needs and better understand potential partners.
4. How to Love Someone Without Losing Your Mind: Forget the Fairy Tale and Get Real by Todd Baratz
- Key focus: Todd Baratz, a psychotherapist and popular relationship expert, challenges conventional, often unrealistic, notions of love and relationships. He advocates for a more realistic, accountable, and skills-based approach to cultivating fulfilling connections, moving beyond the “fairy tale” ideals.
- Why I recommend it: This book is perfect for anyone feeling stuck in relationship patterns, struggling with unrealistic expectations, or looking to build more authentic and resilient partnerships. It encourages self-awareness, personal responsibility, and practical skills for navigating the complexities of modern love.
Enriching Podcasts for Mental Wellness
1. The Being Well Podcast
- Hosts: Hosted by Dr. Rick Hanson (a renowned psychologist and author) and his son, Forrest Hanson.
- Key focus: The “Being Well” podcast aims to provide practical wisdom based on clinical psychology, contemplative practice, and personal experience to help listeners hardwire more happiness, love, and wisdom into their brains and lives. They cover a wide range of topics, from managing anxiety and building resilience to improving relationships and understanding attachment styles.
- Why I recommend it: This podcast offers well-researched, compassionate, and actionable insights into mental health. The father-son dynamic provides an engaging listening experience, and their discussions often integrate neuroscience and mindfulness, aligning with principles we often explore in therapy.
I really encourage you to explore these resources at your own pace. They are not a substitute for professional therapy, but rather valuable complements that can support your journey towards greater well-being. And when you are ready, feel free to reach out to dig a little deeper!